Al Bergstein
Forum Replies Created
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yes, I used to own a 3 Ti and I would agree that your camera has hiss. other cameras like the 5D Mark III do not . The Rode video Mic pro is not without hiss . I own one . I would say that the benefit of this entire thread is that you learned a little bit more about what you really feel you need in a mic . while I was offering an opinion on the alternative without ever having owned it, either one would likely do well with your camera, given your current (mis)use of the zoom. maybe I’ll buy the other and do a comparison just so we all know the answer to this in the future . All the best!
Al
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By the way, a problem you might be having with the H4 is the x/y mics are picking up all the sound around the camera. A shotgun will eliminate that problem. So yes, either of those mic choices will work for you.
also.
A review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20YTy9ZSKcsAl
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since I don’t know the audiotechnica myself you probably should just go buy the Rode for what you’re looking to do.
your assumptions about what the cameras can and can’t do are just that, assumptions. It’s been my experience that my Canon 5d mkiii and my Panasonic gh4 can record sound just fine, without having to turn the volume down to almost 0 . i’ve given you some examples to listen to, and as I stated, my Canon 5D audio won approval of audio experts in the past on this forum.
I have never heard the “motor” on my 5D, yet I have heard it on my much more expensive professional C 100. perhaps you have autofocus turned on on your camera, which most professional shooters do not turn on .
rather than try and convince you that what you’re doing may not be the best way of getting good sound, I say you should just continue to do what you were doing and buy the Rode and you’ll probably be just fine . i’ve long ago stopped trying to debate people who seem to have come to conclusions that may not be technically right but work for them .
all the best.
Al
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In addition to any advice from the pros here on the best mics for the job, buy yourself a Pelican case to hold it all. One mishap and the price of the case will be more than paid for. I have run a number of rivers and the pelican case is the only way to go.
As to mics and wind, lavs under the clothes are likely the only way to go. But I’ll defer to folks doing a lot more of it than me.
Al
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Bobbie, I do believe that the Zoom H4n does not have a true line out function, and you have to ‘pad’ the zoom output to avoid overdriving the camera audio. That’s probably why you are experiencing a ‘too loud’ condition on the camera. I used to own a Zoom H4n, and unless I’m thinking of it’s previous model, it was not a good fit for in camera audio feed. Mine broke after a year and I gladly replaced it with a better model, the H5 which has a true line out and phono jack. Get the right tool for the job.
Anyway, the way I usually do it is to turn on the Rode, and simply watch the levels and adjust in camera. Since the Rode isn’t recording you only have to care about the camera levels, and they will tell you if you need to reduce down from the +20 to 0 or not.
I would buy the AT and see if that works for you, if not, return it within 30 days and buy the Rode. Again, if you are set on the Rode, then buy the one with the better shock mounts.
Al
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Bobby, yes, I have both a GH4 and 5D mkiii. I don’t know how to answer the second question. I don’t try to set it low, I set it so that the peaks are not going beyond the marker for the -12dB range. (it might be -10, not sure anymore). No peaks anywhere near the 0dB mark. No red, ever.
Yes, I do find I need the +20dB boost in the unit on many occasions. But it’s all dependent on recording conditions. There is no ‘right’ way to know.
Al
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I love a puzzle and think I solved this one. I could not understand why your Canon was seeing two channels linked together when it was a mono input. So here’s what I think was the problem, for use next time.
When I hooked up a shotgun xlr mic to my mixpre-d, the output to the Canon was mono, one channel only, and it switched from left to right as I moved the mic from l to right inputs on the Mixpre. I was using the specific cable that is sold for the Mixpre-D to 3.5″ jack.
I then hooked up my Zoom H5 plugged in the same xlr mic, using the standard 3.5″ cable I always use, (also has two black rings on it as does the cable from the Mixpre), at first, I was getting both channels out together as a mono pair, as you described. However, when I went to the “recording” menu on the Zoom, and made sure that the setting was Stereo and not Multifile, the recorder treated the single channel as a single channel on both the Zoom and the line out to the Canon.
So make sure your Zoom is recording Stereo, you should be able to hear the mic in the appropriate channel and the levels will show the appropriate channel on the Zoom, and on your Canon. It seems that the Zoom line out is driving quite hot, as I had to pad my output or lower the recording volume to a very low level on the Zoom not to overdrive the Mkiii. Not so on the output from the Mixpre-d.
Hope this helps your next job.
Al
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Just read the updates on this. Yes, Bruce is right, the SD is likely not the cause of your problem. You mentioning the Tascam is more likely the cause. I have both and the Tascam’s are noticeably more noisy than the SD. Follow Bruce’s advice and set it up to isolate each part of the chain. Notice his discussion of calibrating the HDSLR to the SD with the 1kHz tone. That’s real good advice. Try calibrating the Tascam to the tone from the SD. Good luck!
Al
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I think I would have to say, yes, the meters in the Tascam seem unreliable. I have found that they always seem a bit low, so I usually use the feature that allows me to set one channel -6 to -12 db under the other channel. Also, there is a feature to boost the gain on the inputs, so you might try playing around with that. I sat down at my desk, set it up and got both my field mics in front of me, working with the Tascam. I then opened Audition on my laptop and recorded a bunch of talking into the mics from different distances, and then just popped the SD card into the laptop and looked at the waveforms to see which worked best.
Doing this testing up front is the essence of what you would learn in a film school, so just run the tests to get real familiar with your gear. The Tascam is a very good lower end unit, for the price there’s a lot to like. I recently sold mine for the DR70-D, which has a lower footprint but also some trade offs in feature sets, like not being able to mix down each channell individually.
Al
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If you get the Rode (which I own) I would suggest paying the extra money for the Lyre shock mount. The standard Rode rubber band mount is terrible.
The AT seems like a much better designed mount, and the reviews on B&H are very positive. I own other AT mics, as well as Sennheiser, and I consider the AT line a solid workhorse product. My larger shotgun mic has never failed to produce quality sound. In fact, given the bad mounting brackets on the standard Rode, and the strong positive reviews, I’m likely t o pick up one of these small ATs myself. Just to be done with constantly adjusting the rubber bands would be a relief!
And yes, the quality is poor, compared to close mic’ing, but when you are just shooting standard run and gun or documenting some event, likely either will be fine.
Al